Let's get that clear from the start.

I could bang on for ages about how they are one of the most under-rated bands of the past decade but I've only got so much space.

The British group is difficult to quickly pigeonhole - they are not as eccentric as Radiohead or as anthemic as the Doves - but they possess much more texture and depth than Coldplay.

Their fourth record, Seldom Seen Kid - said to be their last - is driven by the loss of close friend Bryan Glancy.

In typical Elbow style, it provides a melancholic lyrical theme drowned in realism to back Guy Garvey's big, bruised falsetto.

Elbow has always managed to infuse the bleak with beauty and the grey with a touch of gorgeousness.

But when they let the light in - like the soaring six-and-a-half-minute epic On A Day Like This - any accusations of constant pessimism are blown sky-high.

With a choir that is sure to be backed by a crowd of thousands live, they soak up the joy of a love-drunk day to sing: "So throw those curtains wide. One day like this a year would see me right.''

Other highlights include:

*The monstrous riff that tears through the barfly stylings of Grounds For Divorce.

*The humourous jazz/tango-influenced romp with Pulp's Richard Hawley on The Fix - as the pair trade cool asides about a fixed horse race.

*And the album closer Friend Of Ours - when Garvey quietly sighs "love you mate'', you feel like you've lost your own best friend.

With two years without a record contract, Elbow took on the task of recording, mixing and producing without any outside assistance.

It has done nothing to detract from the band's sonic texture, which beautifully balances the stylish arrangement of electronic and acoustic instruments.

If anything, it takes them closer to their eponymous debut, Asleep In The Back, while progressing the band's career output to a height that rivals any other.